Terms & Conditions

1. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing and using This Is Yarm ("the Service", "we", "us", or "our"), you accept and agree to be bound by the terms and provision of this agreement. If you do not agree to abide by the above, please do not use this service.

2. Description of Service

This Is Yarm is a local business directory platform that allows users to discover, list, and review local businesses in Yarm and surrounding areas. The Service includes but is not limited to business listings, user reviews, business information, and related features.

3. User Accounts and Registration

To access certain features of the Service, you may be required to create an account. You agree to:

• Provide accurate, current, and complete information during registration
• Maintain and update your account information
• Keep your password secure and confidential
• Accept responsibility for all activities under your account
• Notify us immediately of any unauthorized use of your account

4. Business Listings

Listing Accuracy: While we strive to maintain accurate business information, we do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any business listings on our platform. Business information is provided by users, business owners, and third-party sources.

Verification: Not all business listings have been independently verified by us. Users should independently verify business information, including but not limited to operating hours, contact information, services offered, and pricing before making any business decisions.

Listing Submission: By submitting a business listing, you represent that you have the authority to list the business and that all information provided is accurate and up-to-date.

5. User Reviews and Content

Our Review Policy: Reviews are governed by our Review Policy, which forms part of these Terms & Conditions. It sets out in full what we publish, the only grounds on which we will refuse to publish a review, how our automated checks work, and how to report or challenge a review. Please read it before leaving a review.

Review Guidelines: Users may submit reviews and ratings for businesses listed on our platform. By submitting a review, you confirm that:

• Your review describes your own genuine, first-hand experience of the business
• You were not paid, offered a discount, given a freebie, or otherwise rewarded in exchange for the review, or for giving a particular rating
• Your review does not contain false, misleading, or defamatory content
• Your review does not name or otherwise identify an individual member of staff
• Your review complies with applicable laws and regulations
• You will not submit multiple reviews for the same business

Automated Checks: Every review is checked automatically against our Review Policy when it is submitted. The check assesses the text of the review only; it is not given information about you, your account or your location. Reviews that raise nothing are published immediately. Reviews with a clear, quotable breach of the policy — such as swearing, naming a member of staff, or personal information — may be refused automatically; anything requiring judgement is held for a person to decide. We will always tell you if your review is not published, explain which ground applies, and give you a route to challenge that decision.

When We May Refuse a Review: We may refuse to publish, or may remove, a review only on the grounds listed in our Review Policy. That list is exhaustive. We will always record and tell you the ground relied on. We will not refuse or remove a review because it is critical, because it gives a low rating, because a business objects to it or disputes your account, or because a business has a commercial relationship with us. Businesses cannot approve, edit, hide or delete reviews of their own listing.

Reporting a Review: Signed-in users can report any published review that they believe breaches the Review Policy. Reporting a review does not remove it; we investigate each report against the published grounds and record the outcome.

Business Replies: A business that has claimed its listing may post one public reply to each review of that listing. Replies are clearly labelled and are subject to the same standards as reviews; we will remove a reply that breaches them.

Ratings: A business's star rating is the unweighted average of its published reviews. Reviews awaiting a decision are excluded. Where a review is removed, ratings, review counts and rating badges are updated promptly. Reviews are displayed newest first and are never ordered or filtered by star rating.

Opinion Disclaimer: All user reviews and ratings represent the personal opinions and experiences of individual users and do not reflect the views, opinions, or endorsements of This Is Yarm. We do not verify the accuracy of user reviews and are not responsible for their content.

Other Content Moderation: For user-generated content other than reviews, we reserve the right to remove, edit, or refuse to publish any content that violates these terms or is deemed inappropriate at our sole discretion. This discretion does not apply to reviews, which are governed solely by the Review Policy.

Legal Basis: Fake reviews, concealed incentivised reviews, and the suppression or cherry-picking of genuine reviews are banned practices under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024. Our Review Policy is how we meet our obligations under that Act.

6. Prohibited Uses

You agree not to use the Service to:

• Submit false, misleading, or fraudulent information
• Impersonate any person or entity
• Harass, abuse, or harm other users or businesses
• Violate any applicable laws or regulations
• Attempt to gain unauthorized access to our systems
• Use automated systems to access or interact with the Service
• Submit spam, promotional content, or commercial solicitations

7. Intellectual Property

The Service and its original content, features, and functionality are owned by This Is Yarm and are protected by international copyright, trademark, patent, trade secret, and other intellectual property laws.

By submitting content to the Service, you grant us a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to use, reproduce, modify, and display such content in connection with the Service.

8. Disclaimers and Limitation of Liability

Service Availability: We do not guarantee that the Service will be available at all times or that it will be free from errors, viruses, or other harmful components.

Information Accuracy: We make no representations or warranties about the accuracy, reliability, completeness, or timeliness of any information on the Service, including business listings, reviews, and user-generated content.

Limitation of Liability: To the fullest extent permitted by law, This Is Yarm shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, including but not limited to loss of profits, data, or business opportunities, arising from your use of the Service.

Business Relationships: We are not responsible for any disputes, transactions, or relationships between users and businesses listed on our platform. Any such interactions are solely between the parties involved.

9. Privacy, Data Protection, and GDPR Compliance

Your privacy is important to us. We are committed to protecting your personal data in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

9.1 Data Controller

This Is Yarm is the data controller for the personal data we collect through the Service. We process your personal data to provide you with access to our Service and to fulfil our contractual obligations to you.

9.2 Your Personal Data

By using our Service, you consent to the collection, storage, and use of your personal data as described in our Privacy Policy. We store your personal data to:

• Enable you to create and maintain an account on This Is Yarm
• Provide you with access to our features, including reviews, loyalty schemes, and business listings
• Send you service-related notifications and communications
• Send you marketing communications (only with your explicit consent)
• Comply with our legal obligations

9.3 Email Communications

We send two types of email communications:

• Transactional Emails: Essential service-related emails (account verification, review confirmations, loyalty scheme notifications) that are necessary to provide our Service.
• Marketing Emails: Promotional communications sent only with your explicit consent. You can opt in or out of marketing emails at any time through your account settings or by using the unsubscribe link in any marketing email.

9.4 Your Rights

Under UK GDPR, you have the following rights regarding your personal data:

• Right to access your personal data
• Right to rectify inaccurate data
• Right to erasure (deletion) of your data
• Right to data portability
• Right to object to processing
• Right to withdraw consent for marketing communications
• Right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO)

You can manage your email notification preferences and exercise many of your data rights directly through your profile settings when logged into your account. For more detailed information about your rights and how to exercise them, please refer to our Privacy Policy.

9.5 Privacy Policy

For comprehensive information about how we collect, use, store, and protect your personal data, please review our complete Privacy Policy, which forms part of these Terms & Conditions.

10. Termination

We may terminate or suspend your account and access to the Service immediately, without prior notice or liability, for any reason, including if you breach these Terms & Conditions.

Upon termination, your right to use the Service will cease immediately, and any data associated with your account may be deleted.

11. Changes to Terms

We reserve the right to modify or replace these Terms & Conditions at any time. If a revision is material, we will provide at least 30 days' notice prior to any new terms taking effect.

Your continued use of the Service after any changes constitutes acceptance of the new Terms & Conditions.

12. Governing Law

These Terms & Conditions shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of England and Wales, without regard to its conflict of law provisions.

13. Contact Information

If you have any questions about these Terms & Conditions, please contact us through the contact information provided on our website.